Operational Meteorologist - UK wide

Job Introduction

We’re looking for exceptional Operational Meteorologists to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Operational Meteorologists, you may be based at various Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK and onsite with the team who work at Heathrow Airport. Please see below for further details or for specific enquiries contact careers@metoffice.gov.uk 

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 18.5 hours per week and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a job share.  Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

World changing work

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are.

• We’re a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We’re experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making
• We’re better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise

You will interpret real-time weather information and deliver meteorological and environmental services and advice to support decision makers. Our services are delivered both face-to-face and remotely, depending on the customer requirements and location.

As an already qualified Operational Meteorologist, you'll provide accurate and timely forecasting services to our customers in order to meet service agreements. Using your meteorological knowledge, expertise and communications skills, you will be able to advise customers on the impact weather may have on their business, meaning that you'll be as confident interacting with and influencing customers as you are in your forecasting.

Our shift patterns vary depending on location and customer requirements. Our most common working pattern is 24/7, which is typically made up on four 12-hour shifts: Day (7am-7pm), Day (7am-7pm), Night (7pm-7am), Night (7pm-7am). These are typically followed by three days off. Other common shift patterns include morning/evening Monday to Friday with some weekend on-call cover. Our rosters are issued 8 weeks in advance and the rotating pattern means your working days will be different each week.

Your key duties

• Be part of a shift working team to provide observing and forecasting capability to support customer operations.
• Using local knowledge, analyse and enhance forecast guidance, to deliver services and advice to the customer in a style that suits their requirements.
• Deliver high quality services to the customer, including briefings, and through customer engagement look to continually improve these products and services.
• Through use of excellent customer liaison skills and enhanced customer knowledge, provide guidance on impacts to allow the customer to operate in the most safe and cost-effective manner.

Locations

We have vacancies at a range of Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK and onsite with the team who work at Heathrow Airport. Further opportunities may arise in our Services Operations Centres in Exeter and Aberdeen over the next year.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work with our Overseas and Deployed teams in locations including Offshore North Sea, Cyprus, Gibraltar and as far away as the Antarctic and across the South Atlantic. These provide unique opportunities to work in an agile way, alongside our partners and customers as part of their deployed teams in what can be challenging and remote locations.

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

As our Operational Meteorologists, your total reward package will be up to £46,974.00 annually, which includes:

• £33,794.00 base pay.
• Unsocial Hours Shift Allowance of £4200 per annum, if working on an unsocial hours shift roster.
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave. 

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. Evidence of being an Expert by Nature through your experience of working as an operational meteorologist and gaining WMO (or equivalent) accreditation.
2. Show you Live and Breathe It with a proven track record in communicating meteorological information to both technical and non-technical audiences including customers and more senior staff.
3. Demonstrate being an Expert by Nature and Force for Good through excellent customer service focus and an appreciation of weather impacts on customers.
4. Evidence of being Better Together, with the ability to work as part of a team, contributing towards team goals and improving products, services and performance standards to ensure quality and consistency.
5. Keep Evolving with a willingness to dynamically engage and contribute towards the development of new capabilities and ways of working.

How to apply 

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you. Apply below with your CV and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.  

Closing date 03/06/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 24/06/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed. 

How we can help 

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via careers@metoffice.gov.uk. You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role. 

We understand that great minds don’t always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code. 

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.